Feng Manlun kicked Lin Xi hard in the shoulder blade, sending her stumbling forward.
When exactly had He Yining started to suspect?
No, impossible!
He Yining couldn't possibly have found out!
It didn't make sense!
Lin Xi was the one who best matched the criteria he was looking for!
There was no reason!
Where had the flaw been?
Who had slipped up?
Feng Manlun, in a fit of irritation, smashed everything in the room to pieces.
Where was Shen Qi? Where on earth was Shen Qi?
Feng Manlun pulled out his phone and dialed Shen Qi's number again.
Shen Qi's work number was off, but her personal number connected immediately.
"Where are you?" Feng Manlun asked, breathing heavily.
Shen Qi was taken aback and replied, puzzled, "I'm by the lake looking at the lotus flowers. The lotus seedpods are ripe, so I'm picking them."
"What?" Feng Manlun's heart jolted. "What about your work number?"
Remembering He Yining's instructions, Shen Qi bit her lip and said, "Oh, did you forget? My phone broke, so I left it at home and didn't bring it. What's wrong?"
At that moment, Feng Manlun really wanted to smash the phone in his hand!
That phone—he had ordered Lin Xi to break it!
How could he have forgotten!
Damn it, damn it, damn it!
"It's nothing." Feng Manlun gritted his teeth. "Alright, I won't keep you from your fun. I'll hang up now."
After hanging up, Feng Manlun hurled his phone violently against the floor.
The loud crash made Lin Xi flinch.
Lin Xi trembled and backed away, afraid that Feng Manlun would take his anger out on her.
Feng Manlun braced his hands on the table and turned to glare coldly at Lin Xi.
Lin Xi froze in terror, not daring to move, staring at him in fear.
"Don't you dare say a word about what happened today." Feng Manlun's gaze swept over her icily. "If you blabber, I'll make sure you die without a burial place!"
Lin Xi shuddered. "I wouldn't dare! I won't!"
Feng Manlun gave her a long, hard look, then turned and strode out of the room.
Only after Feng Manlun had left did Lin Xi snap back to reality.
What was she going to do now?
She had already been with Feng Manlun... He Yining would never want her again!
But Feng Manlun was so terrifying—she didn't dare cling to him!
It was over, everything was over!
Lin Xi sat slumped on the floor, utterly defeated.
After He Yining left the room, he paused and turned back to give the film critic a meaningful look. "You know what to do next, right?"
The critic nodded frantically. "How could I slack off on something you've asked of me, President He? I've already taken the photos, just waiting for your go-ahead."
"Then there's no time to waste." A faint smile curled at the corner of He Yining's lips. With that, he turned and left with his people.
Within half an hour, a Weibo post had exploded.
Its content was so eye-catching that, shortly after being posted, it was wildly shared by several major accounts.
The accompanying image vaguely pointed to Feng Manlun, the eldest son of the Feng family.
In no time, the entire online sphere was buzzing.
Many had learned that the Feng family's eldest son had acted improperly, having an affair with a female friend of He Yining's.
Feng Manlun's pristine image was instantly tarnished.
Fans who had once praised and adored him quickly turned from supporters to indifferent onlookers, expressing shock that this heir, known for his ascetic persona, was actually a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Because the matter also involved the second son of the He family, it immediately drew widespread attention.
When the Feng family caught wind of it, they swiftly deployed their PR team.
But the brilliance of this Weibo post lay in its lack of explicit names, only a blurry photo.
Later, many marketing accounts, unable to withstand pressure from the Feng family, deleted their posts one after another.
But even after the deletions, Feng Manlun's reputation had plummeted.
To settle the matter, the Feng family had no choice but to mobilize their entire clan's resources.
Yet just as Feng Manlun's scandal was dying down, another bombshell dropped.
This new revelation claimed that the girl who had slept with Feng Manlun was actually a spy he had deliberately placed by He Yining's side.
The spy was originally meant to harm He Yining, but instead, Feng Manlun had fallen into his own trap.
Their illicit affair had been accidentally discovered by He Yining.
And then, by sheer coincidence, it had all been exposed.
He Yining had managed to wash his hands clean, while Feng Manlun was stuck deep in the mire, unable to escape.
Feng Manlun's scandal severely impacted his bid this time.
And now, Feng Manlun was so stressed over the matter that he couldn't sleep, his teeth aching from anxiety.
So he was too busy keeping an eye on He Yining's accounts to notice Wen Yibo and the others.
He Yining had thus brazenly pulled off the entire maneuver of feigning one thing while doing another.
On the day of the auction, the entire city of H was gripped by unprecedented attention.
Not just H City, but the whole H Province and even the entire nation had their eyes fixed on the event.
He Yining appeared at the scene, brimming with confidence.
Dressed in a dashing light gray suit, he stole the spotlight the moment he showed up, even though he wasn't in the entertainment industry, instantly captivating every photographer's film on site.
With a peak-level appearance that rivaled any young star, an incomparable noble aura, and an unmatched, commanding presence, he reduced everyone around him to mere background noise.
By the time Feng Manlun arrived, reporters and photographers almost missed him entirely.
Even when some later noticed Feng Manlun, they only cautiously probed for a few gossipy details.
After all, the Feng family was the top clan in H Province.
Local media didn't dare offend him.
But foreign media had no such qualms!
One after another, they fired questions in English, and since Feng Manlun's English was excellent, he caught every word clearly.
Feng Manlun's face darkened.
"Mr. Feng, is it true that for this Ministry of Commerce cooperation case, you tried to use a honey trap on He Yining, president of the He Group, only to fall into your own snare?"
"Mr. Feng, was that pretty girl really a spy you planted by He Yining's side?"
"Mr. Feng, how did you end up caught in your own trap? If He Yining had been the one trapped, what were you planning to do?"
"Mr. Feng, how do you view the current scandal surrounding you? Are you still confident about this bid?"
"Mr. Feng, is it true that the Ministry of Commerce, considering your misconduct, doesn't plan to cooperate with the Feng family?"
And on it went.
Every foreign media outlet spoke in English.
Feng Manlun had never hated English so much!
Would they ever stop?
He Yining walked ahead, hearing every question clearly from behind.
Up front, Wen Yibo and Fan Sheng and Fan Li stood in formal attire. When they saw He Yining, all three gave him a thumbs-up.
He Yining smiled and nodded.
This time, he had won for sure.
On auction day, He Yining made a bold move, injecting two hundred billion as capital, operating on a prepaid basis, and securing the entire project in one fell swoop.
Feng Manlun had been monitoring He Yining's accounts the whole time. Seeing that He Yining had only prepared fifty billion, he assumed that was all He Yining had, so he doubled it and brought one hundred billion.
But he never expected He Yining to suddenly have an extra one hundred and fifty billion!
Before Feng Manlun could react, He Yining had already become the day's biggest winner.
As the event wound down, Feng Manlun blocked He Yining's path.
"Congratulations, President He." Feng Manlun's eyes locked onto He Yining. "You've finally gotten what you wanted."
He Yining let out a light laugh. "And you, Brother Manlun, have a beauty in your arms, don't you? They say when you lose on the battlefield, you win in love. That must be your case, right?"
Hearing He Yining's mockery, Feng Manlun nearly ground his molars to dust.
But he kept his expression steady. "Not at all. If anyone's winning, it's you, President He."
He Yining looked at Feng Manlun with a half-smile.
"In the next competition, I won't hold back anymore." Feng Manlun stared into He Yining's eyes. "Whatever it takes, I'll do it without hesitation."
"You're too kind, Brother Manlun. As if you showed me any mercy this time." He Yining was always sharp-tongued; he wouldn't spare anyone's feelings for the sake of politeness.
Feng Manlun's face darkened.
"But I do need to thank you, Brother Manlun, for not going after Xiao Qi." He Yining looked at Feng Manlun sincerely. "Thank you for sparing her life."
"Hmph." Feng Manlun let out a cold snort.
"He Yining, we'll see about that." Feng Manlun felt that if he didn't leave, he'd truly go mad.
"I'm always ready for you." He Yining smiled brightly. That infuriating grin, paired with his stunning face, only made people hate him even more.
After Feng Manlun left, Shen Wu approached slowly and said, "Weren't we supposed to compete fairly?"
He Yining gave a wry smile. "Fair competition is inherently unfair. Society's resources are already skewed—how can it be fair? Whether it's me, Feng Manlun, or anyone else, we're destined to have more resources than most. We have the best choices. So competition in this world was never fair. To break through, you consolidate all your resources and strike with precision."
"Feng Manlun lost badly this time." Shen Wu watched Feng Manlun's retreating figure. "I heard he was doing well abroad. How did he lose so badly once he came back?"
He Yining laughed heartily, turning to Shen Wu. "You should ask him that. Maybe hatred clouded his judgment."
He Yining clapped Shen Wu on the shoulder. "Xiao Qi is making zhajiang noodles at home tonight. Want to come for dinner?"
Shen Wu's eyes lit up!
"We'll be waiting for you at home." With that, He Yining turned and walked away gracefully.
Shen Wu watched these two men at the pinnacle and couldn't help muttering, "Since the world gave birth to Yu, why did it also give birth to Liang?"
Shen Qi had promised to visit the Shen family once she finished her studies, so the Shen family reluctantly left H Province.
Once free, Shen Qi threw herself into intense studying.
So she had no idea about the clash between Feng Manlun and He Yining.
Today was He Yining's day to go into battle, and Shen Qi had promised early on to cook a celebratory dinner.
So she headed to the kitchen early to start preparing.
It was strange.
He Yining used to complain endlessly about Shen Qi's cooking, but recently, he had been pestering her to make him food every day.
No matter how bad it tasted, he seemed to enjoy it with relish.